Chapter 5

Stone

 

I sat up the whole night holding Alyssa in my arms as she slept watching the dark rainy skies, the rain never seemed to end. The sun was rising. As the sun tried to push its way through the cumulus clouds, I pictured Maddie’s face. I glanced over at Daniel and Lacky. Lacky was in the middle of the bed and Daniel had his arm across Lacky’s chest. I was grateful for Lacky. He was good to us. He’s always been good to us.

My heart hurt me in a way I never thought possible. God help me if Andrew hurts her. I wouldn’t know what to do. On the way back to Syracuse, I’m going to think of ways to torture every part of his body. I’m going to take my father’s knife collection and I’m going to cut that bastard until he begs for his life.

Alyssa stirred in my arms and I kissed the top of her head gently. She grabbed my shirt with her tiny hands and burrowed her face into my chest. It was time to leave, so I walked towards the bed and shook Lacky.

“What? What is it man?” He said as he wiped the sleep from his eyes.

“It’s time to go.” I said as I lifted Daniel from the bed.

Alyssa walked around the bed holding onto the side bed and grabbed Lacky’s shoe.

“Okay, I’m up. Tell little Frankenstein I need my shoe back.” He smiled and took the shoe from Alyssa. She started to cry. I put Daniel down and picked her up.

“Mine.” She said.

“Okay. You can have it later.”

We waited in the car for Lacky to return the keys to the room. I strapped the kids in the car. Lacky opened the car door and sat in the driver’s seat. He seemed skeptical about something. I wasn’t sure what it was.

“It’s still raining.” He said.

“Yeah, but it’s better than last night.”

“Are you sure you want to do this drive, kid?” he asked.

“I’m positive. Let’s go.

 

 

We finally turned onto Airport Road and parked in the front of my father’s trailer. “I’ll be right out. I am going to leave the kids in here with you.”

“That’s fine Stone go handle your business.”

The wind was howling, and the rain hit my face like tiny pebbles. I knocked on the door, and Annette his girlfriend answered.

“Tiny, is that you?” she shouted.

“Yeah!” I yelled.

“Come on in.” She opened the door, and I ran in alone.

“Where’s my father?” I asked looking around the trailer. It was clean at least. I hated to leave the kids there, but I had no choice. I needed to get to Maddie.

“He’s asleep. Everything okay? What are you doing out in this storm?” she asked with a confused look on her face.

“Look, I need your help. Can you watch Daniel and Alyssa for me? Please. Maddie’s in trouble. Don’t let my father near the kids okay?” I asked.

“I…Of course.” Her confusion grew with every question I asked.

“Promise me. You won’t let him near the kids.” I demanded.

“I promise. When will you be back?” she asked.

“I don’t know.” I whispered.

“Jesus, kid, you just can’t leave me with two babies. I don’t know them.”

“My babysitter was killed last night. I don’t have anyone else. Please. You’ve got to help me.” I pleaded.

She stood silent for a moment. She placed her hand over her mouth in shock. The word killed pushed her over the edge.

“Bring those babies in.” She walked towards the door.

“Here…” I handed her the little bit of money I made at my job at the moving company. I never told Maddie what I did for a living and she never asked, “It’s all I have right now.” I took a pen and paper that was on the table and wrote everything the kids liked to eat. The tears fell from my eyes as I wrote. I shook my head.

“Bring them in.” She shouted to Lacky. Lacky carried Alyssa and held Daniel by the hand.

“Daddy?” he called out to me.

“Yeah, champ?”

“Where you going?” he asked rubbing his little eyes.

“To get momma.” He smiled and my heart broke in half. I loved him so much. I loved them both so much.

Lacky kept staring at me, wondering why I was leaving the kids with my junkie father, but he didn’t understand, I had to.

“Where’s Mickey?” Lacky asked.

“He’s asleep. What happened sweetheart?” she kneeled in front of Daniel and pointed to his cast.

“I…I…fell down.” Daniel said with a sad puppy face. I smiled inside. He’s such a trooper.

“Oh, I see. Well, you’ll get better soon. It’s fine, Stone. I’ll take good care of them. I have four of my own. They’re all grown up now.” I smiled thankfully.

I grabbed Alyssa from Lacky and kissed her forehead and whispered in her ear, “Daddy loves you…always,”

She smiled in her sleep and I handed her to Annette.

“Daddy? I want to go, too.” Daniel stomped his little foot, and I smiled.

“You have to protect Alyssa. You’re the man now. Can you do that for Daddy? Can you do it for mommy?” he shook his head.

“No? Why?” I kneeled in front of him.

“Because…I’ll miss you too much.” He pouted.

“How much?” I asked smiling.

“This much daddy! This much!” He tried to lift his arm up in the cast but couldn’t, his little face scrunched up in pain. I grabbed him gently and gave him a hug. I gasped for air just so that I wouldn’t cry.

“Your daddy’s little boy! Now be good. Go. Go protect…your sister.” I placed him down on the ground and he ran to Annette. Lacky turned and stared at me.

“Annette, we have to go. Here’s my number.” I wrote it down on the same envelope.

“Here, take my number, too.” Lacky glanced over at me while writing his number on the same envelope.

“Whatever it is…I hope she’s going to be okay.” Annette whispered.

I gave the kids one last look, then my father walked out from the bedroom.

“What are you doing here?” he said angrily.

“Maddie’s in trouble.” I glanced over at Lacky.

Lacky looked at me suspiciously waiting for me to finally tell him what was going on with Maddie and why it was so important that I would leave my kids with this junkie.

“Yeah…and what does that have to do with me?” he lit up a cigarette and blew out the smoke from his mouth towards Annette. “Why the fuck do you have that little girl in your hands?”

“The kids are staying with us for a while.” She whispered.

“Really? You own this home?” he said condescendingly.

“Look…” I said.

“You shut the fuck up and take those orphans out of here!” He shouted.

I ran to swing at him but Lacky grabbed me from behind.

“You walked away, remember boy…remember what you said, ‘I’m going to blow this place up’, ‘fuck you, dad’. Now you need a fucking favor? Well, guess what Tiny? I don’t give a fuck about those kids, Maddie or you. Now, get the fuck out of my house!” He took a drag of his cigarette.

“I was wrong coming here…so wrong. But, I realized something dad, I love those kids and Maddie more than I love myself, and if I had to give up my life for them…I would; something you’ll never understand. You’ve never been a father to me and you never loved me, but I took care of you. I made sure no one hurt you.”

“Do you want me to play the violins now…or later?” he asked with a grin.

“You don’t get it. I’m glad you did what you did to me because now I know what it is to really love someone and I don’t have to feel guilty.”

“Guilty? For what?” he asked.

“For doing this…”

I took my elbow and slammed it into Lacky’s ribs, knocking the air out of him. As he released me from his grip, I ran towards my father knocking him to the floor. Lacky stood bent over, coughing. I grabbed my father by his throat and choked him until he struggled to breathe. I couldn’t see anything. My mind went blank, and all I saw was red. My hands kept a tight grip around his throat. He tried to swing on me, so I let one of my hands go free and I punched him in the face repeatedly, his blood covering my hands. I felt someone try to grab me, so I stopped punching him and continued to choke him out.

“Daddy!” I heard Daniel scream. “Daddy…Please!” He yelled.

I looked at my father. His eyes were tearing. The look of horror on his face was more than I could handle. I released my hands from his throat and looked over at Daniel. He was crying, too. Alyssa placed her pointer and middle finger into her mouth and started sucking on them. She leaned her head on Annette’s shoulder and closed her eyes. My father laid there on the floor coughing as Lacky lifted me up by the waist to stand me up. I looked over at Daniel.

“Are you okay, daddy?” he asked as he jumped into my arms.

“Yeah…let’s go.” I walked over and grabbed Alyssa from Annette.

“I’m sorry Tiny.” She whispered.

“Me, too.” I glanced over at my father then walked over towards him.

“You’ll never see me again.” I whispered.

“Fuck you, Tiny!” He yelled. I stomped on his hand hard, turned around and walked away, “You son of bitch!”

“So, I’ve been told dad…so I’ve been told.” I ran quickly into the car with the kids, so they wouldn’t get drenched by the pouring rain that was falling from the sky. Lacky followed.

“Where to?” Lacky asked.

“Syracuse.” I answered.

I sat in the back with the kids. I wrapped them in my arms, kissing their foreheads, thinking about the way my father looked at me with hate in his eyes. They both sat on my lap and snuggled into my chest. I never hated anyone so much in my life like I hated my father. Well, maybe one person…Andrew Turner. I’m coming for you Maddie. I’m coming for you.

 

 

As we approached the city of Syracuse, my heart pounded against my chest. The anxiety was taking a toll on my exhausted body and mind. All I could think about was Maddie and whether or not, that bastard hurt her…or maybe even killed her. I gave Lacky directions to Andrew’s apartment building.

When we parked in front of the building, I turned to Lacky and asked, “Can you watch the kids for a minute. I have to make a phone call.”

“Yeah, sure. Don’t do anything stupid, your life is in the back of this car.”

“I know…but the other half of me, the half I can’t live without…is with Andrew.”

Lacky’s eyes widened. I struck a chord and his facial expression changed.

“Be careful.” He whispered.

I nodded my head and walked towards the building. It was locked. I dialed Andrew’s number. Maddie put it on my phone one night. I didn’t realize it until the other day when I was scrolling through my contacts.

“Hello.” I heard the devil’s voice say.

“Where is she?”

“Well, well, well…took you long enough.” He chuckled.

“Where the fuck is she, Andrew?” I couldn’t catch my breath.

“Well, if you want to know if she’s alive…she is.”

My heart dropped. My God, I’ve never been so relieved in my life. I glanced over at the back of the car where the kids stood. The rain was smacking me so hard against my face, I couldn’t even breathe.

“I need to hear her voice. To make sure you’re not lying.” I wanted to strangle him through the phone.

“Not going to happen, what do you want hillbilly?” He taunted me with a chuckle in his voice.

“What do you mean what do I want? Where is she Andrew?”

“She’s not in Syracuse…that’s for sure.”

“Cut the bullshit Andrew…I’ll call the police if you don’t let her go.”

“Really? Well, then go ahead and I’ll show them the fake papers Madison made me draw up while she held a gun to my head after she killed my junkie brother.”

“Why are you doing this?”

“Do you speak English hillbilly? Madison is Mine. Not yours. Those kids are not hers. We are going to have our own kids. She doesn’t love you, her brother. She’s not into incest. Stop drooling over her. She’s never going back to you.”

“Well, guess what motherfucker? She doesn’t want you. Let her go and I won’t kill you.”

“Oh please. Save yourself the trouble. We are gone. Somewhere you’ll never find us. And if you get that Lacky to snoop around, I’m going to kill her. I think she’s pregnant, so don’t make me hurt her.” My stomach scowled.

“Pregnant?” I swallowed hard as my hands shook while holding the phone.

“Yeah, and it’s not yours,” He laughed, “Well, I have to go. Good luck with your search. The moment you find us…she’ll be the next body bag delivered to your front door.” His words sent a chill up my spine reminding me of Clarissa.

I walked over to the car and got in. I was soaked from top to bottom. The deep chill in my bones soon turned into a heated fury coursing through my veins.

“I need your help.” I said to Lacky as I wiped my face with my sleeve.

“What is it?” Lacky questioned.

“I’ll tell you later.”

“Why?” he insisted.

“I can’t talk about it right now, not in front of the kids.”

My entire body was trembling. I was so angry, if I had a gun. I would shoot someone just for the fuck of it.

“Let’s go, then.” Lacky said.

“Where?” I asked.

“To my house.”